It has become common for the conventional household to purchase fire extinguishers for the kitchen, fireplace, vehicle, and other home uses. Typically these fire extinguishers include a relatively heavy bottle or the like which contains water or other fire extinguishing material. In most cases, the extinguisher is mounted on a support clip on a wall or other relatively strong support surface.
When dealing with the typical kitchen fire which arises on a stove, the use of a conventional fire extinguisher leaves extinguishing material residue spread about the stove, over the pan, or other utensil which caught fire, and typically discharges the entire fire extinguisher. Because the extinguishers must typically be mounted on a solid wall, the consumer must go to a closet or other surface typically quite a distance from the kitchen to obtain the extinguisher.
Because most extinguishers are not rechargeable (when purchased in a small size for the home), it is necessary to obtain a brand new extinguisher to replace the unit which was partially or fully discharged. The cost is relatively high, even if the fire is very small, to replace these extinguishers with any frequency. In addition, disposal of the fire extinguisher container results in the waste of a large amount of nonrecyclable material.